When faced with weeks of quarantine earlier this year, people dealt with the time at home in all different ways. Some people read books, binged television series, or figured out how to work out at home to stay in shape. Others complained that they were too close to their refrigerator 24 hours a day. Some people dove into their hobbies. One 8-year-old girl in New Jersey spent her time learning something useful.
That girl’s name is Kyla, and when faced with hours at home, she decided to learn a new craft. Kyla had been given a finger loom kit, which has a tool used to weave colorful rubber bands into decorative items. So she learned how to make bracelets out of the rubber bands.
“She made them all day long,” said her mother, Shannon. “We thought she would get bored with it, but she kept on going until they piled up!”
Once Kyla had accumulated inventory, she came up with a plan. Kyla is no stranger to childhood cancer. She has a friend who lost her cousin to neuroblastoma, and she also met a girl at camp who had cancer one year and came back as a survivor the next. Kyla’s heart was touched by both children, and she wanted to do something.
“I want to help kids so they don’t have to get sick anymore,” Kyla declared to her parents one day.
With this in mind, she started calling her bracelets Kylabands and worked with her parents to sell them and donate all of the proceeds to CURE. She started selling them to friends online and the first day made $600! Sales trailed off a little after that day, but Kyla is thinking of new ways to market her bands.
“She may make kits that kids can use to create their own bands,” explained Shannon. “She is also considering making mask chains so that kids can wear their facemasks around their necks and won’t lose them or have to set them down on their desks at school.”
Each shipment of a Kylaband includes a note from Kyla:
Thank you for supporting CURE Childhood Cancer. Let’s band together to help fight pediatric cancer.
Kyla is in the third grade, and her school has recently returned to in-person classes. While this cuts into her Kylaband production time, she is happy to be getting back to normal. She told her mother that she feels like she is making a difference.
We can assure you, Kyla… you’re making a huge difference!